I made a steel target, am I gonna die?

[boostedxt]

well not really but would you shoot it and consider it safe? I have 2x4's for the legs as I need to break it down when home. The post goes through the wood legs and holds the plate. The plate is suspended by chains through two eye bolts to cant it forward. The steel is Mild steel 3/8" for 9mm-40cal only. No rifles shooting it.

thoughts? I figured the chains would swing and there is a slight angle down.






Joe

 

[F40]

You're going to get splatter if you stand too close. Make sure you wear glasses and I'd probably shoot that at 8 yards or greater. That plate probably won't last long.

 

[Guns and more]

1. I'd take it out of the garage before shooting at it.
2. It seems that the feet could be a bit longer or need some ballast. I would think wind or the target swinging might tip it over.

Give it a shot! (sorry)

 

[ThePunisher'sArmory]

Im new with steel but it seems like I would shoot at it from 15-25 yards. WEAR YOUR GLASSES!!! I got some good Revision brand glasses from a friend. He permanently borrowed them from the Army for me. :->

 

[shotgunjoel]

Don't shoot it close like others have said, and don't put craters in it. It's safe as long as it's flat, start shooting it with centerfire rifles and you are going to get some nasty ricochets.

 

[Magoo]

I am by no means any form of authority on this. A number I saw earlier today while resarching bullet traps threw out a number of 17 degrees (from vertical, canted towards shooter) as the minimum angle needed to get lead down. Theirs was a fixed plate, not a swinger like yours, so you might get away with less (and this source might have been worthless). It's at least a real number to start with planning around.
It might be a good idea to put something on the ground under the target that you can use to map where the bullets are ricocheting. Like a large piece of paper- maybe tape a bunch of stuff from the recycling bin at work together to make a suitable sized mat? You can tune things a bit if you've got less holes than empty brass.

 

[hso]

Generally good.

Your steel may be a little thin at 3/8ths, but your design is pretty good. You may want to find a way to ensure that the angle doesn't shift and you're going to find that you're frame isn't stable if you don't add another cross member (at the bottom) or you don't add eyes on the front and back of each leg to drive stakes through to anchor. Be prepared to replace the plate if it starts to dimple because that can throw lead back at you instead of the ground. A steeper angle will help prevent that.

 

[Zak Smith]

If the steel gets cratered at all, you must stop shooting at it. It will be unsafe. Craters catch bullet fragments and throw them right back at you.

Also note that the fragments from the bullet impacts will eat away at your wood frame

 

[taliv]

yeah, you're good to go there. however, you should consider that your starter kit, as two things will happen: first, you will get really tired of hauling that contraption around. second, as Zak said, bullet fragments (and probably bullets, depending on how good/bad the shooters are) will eat away that wood.

there are a couple of other lighter-weight, all-metal designs out there for target stands

 

[boostedxt]

I am cool with replacing the wood. I got it from home depot for about $2. I also have some more wood to brace the legs. I just havent done it yet.

I made it like this as I was watching a few todd jarrett videos and he was shooting vertical steel on chains. I figured leaning forward and chains was doubled up on the good side. also...who shoots without glasses? I dont ever shoot without them.

Thanks...I am going to shoot from behind a berm a few times.

joe

 

[Zak Smith]

Also once the exposed threads get munged by bullet impacts, it will be very difficult to remove those eye bolts.

 

[svaz]

Yes and no.

 

[shotgunjoel]

Also once the exposed threads get munged by bullet impacts, it will be very difficult to remove those eye bolts.

Yeah, and they'll throw stuff back. Be careful to only shoot toward the bottom.

 

[TIMC]

I think you're ok but bullet splatter is gonna tear that car up!

 

[Tom488]

I also don't like the exposed eyebolt threads and nuts. Better to tap the holes for the eyebolt thread, and put the nut on the back side as a jam nut. Set the eyebolt threads flush with the face of the plate - file/grind down if necessary to make a contiguous flat surface. A bit of green (penetrating) Loc-tite would also be good to put on the threads after they're in place, to keep anything from shaking loose.

The videos you saw are more than likely AR500 steel targets, and lead rounds (no jackets). Mild steel is going to dimple on you pretty quickly, and after a few hundred (or less) rounds, is going to start to curl up like a potato chip.

Another thought... one errant round striking the chain is going to drop the target. What about ditching the chain and putting the rebar right through the eyebolts? It'll still swing, it'll still hang at an angle, and the rebar will be protected by the plate itself.

 

[boostedxt]

i had thought about the rebar right through the eye bolts. as for the nuts on the end I have nothing else to suspend it with. I am considering capping them so they are round. thoughts?

joe

 

[M2 Carbine]

Looks pretty good.
Keep the bullet velocity below 1,000 FPS and the steel should hold up for a while. Fast 9mm and 40 S&W is hard on typical mild steel plate. I don't shoot 40 S&W at mine.
That type of chain will be damaged by a bullet hit, as was this original chain I had on the right hanging target. I use solid link heavy chain now. The target is very reactive hanging from long chains.
The wood will quickly be chewed up by the splatter.
The worse bullet splatter is from slow moving bullets, like 38 target loads shot from a 2 inch barrel. Fast bullets splatter on the steel. Slow bullets will throw big chunks around, up to the size of half the bullet. So if I'm shooting slow bullets I don't get any closer than 7 yards.

This in my back yard setup. I've been shooting some of these mild steel plates for over 20 years.





This is a easy way to hang larger steel plates.

 

[boostedxt]

that bottom picture is what gave me the idea of the eye bolts. as for ammo all I have besides home defense stuff is WWB and Federal 9mm.

thoughts?

joe

 

[M2 Carbine]

that bottom picture is what gave me the idea of the eye bolts. as for ammo all I have besides home defense stuff is WWB and Federal 9mm.

thoughts?

Keep an eye on the steel and like has been said if your 9mm is cratering the steel try and find a slower practice round, try and find a harder steel or, as I've done sometime, hang smaller steel expendable plates in front of your "good" steel plate. The smaller plates also act as good COM or bullseye targets.

I get hit with a little splash back now and then. I can only think of once in over 20 years that a piece actually scratched my skin and brought a drop of blood. But never say never. Tomorrow a piece of jacket might get thrown back with enough speed to give me a good cut.
Have anyone close by you wearing glasses just in case. The little pieces of lead or jacket might not scratch the skin but would surely scratch an eyeball.

I do shoot as close as 7 yards but the further back you stand the better.
The last few evenings I was moving while shooting a laser equipped Beretta Mod 21A. From about 7 to 5 yards I was getting "splashed" a little with the fragmenting 22LR bullets.

 

[Mauserguy]

Yes, you will die, I can guarantee it. I don't know when you will die, and I'm pretty sure it won't have anything to do with your target, but yes, you will die.
Mauserguy

 

[M2 Carbine]

thoughts?

Velocity is the enemy of the non hardened steel.
Even a .17 cal from a rifle will put little craters in the steel.

A 55 grain .223 from a pistol will drill through 1/4 inch steel plate like butter, whereas a 230 grain 45ACP will just knock off the paint.
(The top right hole is from a AK pistol)


Steel makes a good backstop and good reuseable targets.
For 50 yard pistol targets I use a 1 foot and 2 foot steel plate.





A quick spray of paint and they are ready for use again. (The girl is shooting at and hitting the (white) 1 foot square sreel target)
Another good thing about steel is you can hear when you hit it.

 

[rattletrap1970]

You could try using those heavy rubber bungees. Add more Eye hooks along the bottom so you can adjust the angle of the plate. The bungees should absorb a good deal of the impact. I drew this up quick.

 

[M2 Carbine]

I drew this up quick.

Pretty cool. What program did you do that with?


You have to keep in mind that the bullet becomes powder and small pieces when it hits the steel. These pieces, for the most part, slide across the face of the steel and exit to the sides, bottom and even the top. Leaves are sometimes "shot" off my tree above my steel targets.
So, you don't want anything forward of the face of the plate that will be damaged by the "splatter". For instance, I think the rubber bungees cords are a very good idea for a portable target but they have to be behind the face of the steel plate. Maybe like using eye bolts at the corners of the plate.


This is a simple, no welding, portable target I made years ago out of scrap steel. Targets like this are easy to make and hold up surprisingly well.

 

[rattletrap1970]

Solidworks 2010
I've been using it since 2003, nice stuff.

 

[roo_ster]

M2Carbine:

First off, great array of steel targets!

Second, that "portable" steel target reminds me of another "portable" doohickey from yesteryear: